Missouri Valley Football Conference Commissioner Patty Viverito announced today that schools that have COVID-19 issues will likely have to forfeit games.

Viverito, speaking at the annual Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) media day, said that none of the schools in the conference are currently at the 85% vaccination rate. She also made comment about vaccine hesitancy and wanting to reach that 85%. With vaccination levels lacking, the conference is looking into the fall with a similar mindset to that of the NFL.

According to Wyatt Wheeler of the Springfield News-Leader and Dom Izzo of WDAY in Fargo, the conference will likely not reschedule any games that are interrupted by issues surrounding COVID-19. Teams will likely have to forfeit the contest.

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During the modified spring season, without a vaccine available, COVID-19 became a problem for the MVFC. 13 games throughout the conference were canceled due to players or staff members at schools testing positive for COVID-19. Some schools, like the University of South Dakota, only played four of the scheduled eight regular-season games. South Dakota State, on the run to a national championship appearance, went multiple weeks with games being canceled on them.

It isn't surprising to see, with almost every league doing the same, that the MVFC would move forward in this direction. It is on the schools to get information to their student-athletes and get the games on the field. If issues arise, it will ultimately fall on the school that has the outbreak.

MVFC teams are scheduled to begin the 2021 fall season at the end of August or the beginning of September. The full schedule for all of the conference teams can be found here.

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